Lowell Mayor Murphy won't seek re-election

LOWELL - Mayor Patrick Murphy said Wednesday he will not run again for City Council this fall, saying he felt he was at a point in his life where it was time to move on.

In an interview in his City Hall office Wednesday evening, Murphy said he began campaigning for City Council in 2009 saying he wouldn't serve on the Council forever.

"My sort of view of government is that you do your service for a period of time and move on and give other people an opportunity to serve, invigorating the discussion," he said.

Murphy said he hasn't decided on what his next involvement in the city will be.

"I'm still very much focused on the next year, devoting as much energy and time to finish the job I was elected to do," he said.

He became the city's youngest-ever mayor at age 29 in 2012.

He said he hasn't yet considered running for higher political office.

Murphy ran for Congress in 2007 as an independent, but when asked about that race in an interview Wednesday morning on 980 WCAP, where he first announced he would not be seeking re-election, he denied it showed he had higher political aspirations than serving as Lowell mayor.

Murphy, 30, is a stone mason in addition to his mayoral duties, which also includes serving as School Committee chairman. He got married last year, and his wife, Allegra Williams, the city's neighborhood planner, is expecting to give birth to the couple's first child in March.

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Murphy said in some ways he enjoyed his role as a city councilor more than mayor, but saw the mayorship as an opportunity to engage more in policy discussions and broaden his focus to include, for example, working closely with the School Department and Superintendent of Schools Jean Franco on initiatives like Gateway Cities.

Murphy told The Sun one of his greatest accomplishments during his time on the Council came from the first motion he made as a city councilor to develop a sustainability plan. The city's draft Master Plan: Sustainable Lowell 2025 was completed last year and recently went through public comment periods.

"I'm very proud of that process, which was very inclusive, and it points a way forward for the next 20 years," he said.

Among his other accomplishments, Murphy pointed to his work to obtain Green Community status for the city, which has brought in $700,000 in grant funding, the LowellStat program and transportation and housing initiatives, like the rental ordinance for more frequent inspections for rental units he brought forward with Councilor John Leahy.

Murphy said he looked forward to spending more time with his family "and people with a higher level of maturity."

On WCAP Wednesday, Murphy, one of City Manager Bernie Lynch's strongest supporters, first implied unhappiness with the current City Council, and then was asked to clarify his remarks.

"I think the last council was a lot more productive," he said, adding that the current council is "more chatty" with longer meetings, but that it "hasn't been as productive as it can be."

Murphy told The Sun his frustration with the effectiveness of the current City Council did not influence his decision not to run for re-election.

Several councilors told The Sun they disagreed with Murphy's remarks about their productivity and were disappointed he made them.

"It stings a little bit," said Leahy. "I'm very involved and try to talk to different department heads and the city manager to see what needs to be done."

City Councilor Ed Kennedy said he was unsure why Murphy would criticize the work of the current City Council when he is supposed to be the leader of the body.

Kennedy said the current council has been very productive, pointing to a zero percent increase in the property-tax levy in the current fiscal year, a priority of the council's. The councilor also highlighted his push, supported by his colleagues, for tax-lien auctions, with the city's second one bringing in $880,000 to Lowell's coffers.

"This council is only half done, but I think already it has been more productive than the last one," Kennedy said. "We have made deeper cuts to the budget and helped prevent a tax increase."

In an interview, Murphy said the reason the city was able to prevent a tax increase this year was because of the work of the previous City Council.

"This Council didn't have any role," Murphy said.

Councilor Marty Lorrey also had high praise for the 2012-2013 council. He highlighted the council's success in securing an expanded summer recreation program for children and council support for his effort to have the city establish a problem-property task force to prevent certain addresses from dragging down city neighborhoods.

"I think as a whole the council has been pretty effective and I'm very proud to be part of this council," Lorrey said.

City Councilor Rita Mercier, the consistent ticket-topper in city elections, said she thinks the current council has done a "tremendous job." She said Murphy's swipes at the council also didn't paint the city manager Bernie Lynch in the best light.

"If he is saying this council has not accomplished much, it does not say much for the city manager who we work together with for the betterment of the city," Mercier said.

Councilor Rodney Elliott also pointed to eliminating a tax increase as an accomplishment of the present council, and praised the council's efforts to make sure the residents of the Lowell Housing Authority had safe units to live in at North Common Village.

Councilor Vesna Nuon declined to comment directly on Murphy's remarks, but praised Murphy as very helpful to him. He also said he admires how Murphy is very upfront with people.

"He is not afraid to tell people how he feels and to disagree with people," Nuon said. "You have to respect that."

The other councilors offered tepid reactions to Murphy's announcement Wednesday.

Five of the six other councilors interviewed said they are definitely running for re-election. Nuon said he is leaning toward running again. Councilors Bill Martin and Joseph Mendonca did not respond to requests for comment. Nomination papers for the municipal election become available on June 3 and must be returned by Aug. 6 with signatures of 50 registered voters.

Murphy said announcing well in advance his decision not to run again isn't likely to change how he performs his job in the meantime. "I don't think it really changes my approach," he said.

Lorrey said he expects the mayor's announcement to lead to challengers jumping into the election.

Murphy said he hoped residents didn't see his decision not to run as there being one open seat on the Council, but that there will be nine open seats and that people will run for them.

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